1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording an information signal on a record bearing medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Known recording and/or reproducing apparatuses of the above-stated kind include video tape recorders (hereinafter referred to as VTR's) of a rotary two-head type which is arranged, for example, to perform the so-called four-frequency pilot type tracking control. In the following description, the VTR of this kind is taken up by way of example.
In carrying out the so-called jointed recording in which a new video signal is continuously recorded on a magnetic tape without leaving any blank part after the end of a previously recorded video signal, the VTR's of this kind have employed the following method: First, when an instruction for a halt is issued, the magnetic tape is immediately wound backward to a predetermined extent (or for a given period of time "to"). Then, the tape comes to a stop. After that, when the tape is released from the stopping action, it is allowed to travel at a normal speed with the VTR shifted to a reproducing mode under tracking control. Then, after the tape is allowed to travel forward to an extent a little shorter than the above-stated backward winding extent, i.e. after the lapse of a period of time "t1" which is shorter than the period "t0", a new video signal is recorded from a part at which a recording track begins in synchronism with a head switch-over signal.
However, the conventional VTR which is arranged to be capable of performing the jointed recording in the above-stated manner has presented the following problems: First, during a period of time corresponding to a difference between the periods "t0" and "t1", there remains a portion of the previously recorded signal. Therefore, the new signal comes to be overlapped or superimposed on this portion of the previous record. As a result, the quality of a reproduced picture deteriorates in this part. Next, since the VTR of the kind performing four-frequency type tracking control is generally arranged to perform so-called azimuth overlapped writing, the locus of tracing performed by a head at the time of reproduction deviates from that of tracing performed by a head in recording. Therefore, with the tape wound backward after the halt as mentioned above, the arrangement to record a new video signal with tracking made in the same manner as the reproduction tracking made at the time of the halt would result in the irregular width of tracks formed in the joint part. Therefore, when the jointed record is played back across the jointed part, tracking cannot be stably accomplished at that part.
To solve these problems, there have been contrived various methods. In one of such methods, a VTR is arranged to lessen the overlapped recording part. In another, a VTR is arranged to compensate for the deviation of the tracing locus of the head. These methods, however, necessitate additional arrangement of high precision control means. Therefore, each of these methods has resulted in a complex circuitry, which has hindered reduction in size and cost of the apparatus.